Mini-Misty
by StrawberryTruffle
Summary: Somethings never change. Others change for the better.


Ash had a lot of friends; that was true. Some were longtime friends, some of them he had known for a couple of years, and some were new people he met during his journeys. All of them were special in their own way, of course, but there are always the ones you trust the most on this world. And for Ash, that usually translated into two people.

He opened his bedroom door, glad to be home after so long. It had been a very long journey, and he was very tired. As much as he loved traveling and battling, being home always gave him a unique feeling of security - that he had a home to return to. That he had people waiting for him somewhere and rooting for him to be the best he could. People who trusted him and were proud of every little thing he archived. And he did it for them.

Throwing his bag into the bed, he spun around, observing the bedroom wall he hadn't seen for so long. It was filled with photos of his journeys and friends. When he was on his first journey, Delia had decided with would be a good idea to snap a picture of her son and his two best friends and put on his room. Apparently, Ash thought it was a good way to keep the good memories, so he started filling it with other photos too.

He stopped to stare to one particular picture of him standing beside a tall dark boy. That should have been one of the first pictures he had taken with Brock, and one of his favorites too, to be honest. They were in Celadon, after he finally defeated Erika; with both of them smiling and Ash proudly showing his badge. Oh, that one always made him smile. It had been taken a very long time ago, but to him, it marked the very beginning of their friendship. Doesn't matter how many people he could meet in this life, Brock would always be one of his best and truest friends. He was older brother he never had and didn't know he wanted until they met.

Smiling, he turned his attention to another picture. This one was not so old - a year or two, at the most – but he loved it. I was just him, no one else in it. Just him, sitting by a riverside, cleaning a tiny lure.

It wasn't particularly his greatest picture, but there was a very good reason for him to love it the way he did. He always liked to keep things that reminded him of his friends. A lot of them had given him gifts, and he carried every single thing he had received on his journeys. This way, his friends would always be with him; even the ones who weren't anymore.

But this one was by far the most special.

He knew how much the girl loved that little thing; she was always swaying it proudly on everybody's face and saying how it would always bring her good luck. That's why he had never expected her to give that lure to anyone; but yet she gave it to him. And that meant really a lot.

Nobody was allowed to touch it - _oh, poor Dawn, she should have been warned about that- _and even Pikachu had a hard time getting near the thing. Every time he got questioned about his protective behavior towards the object, he would defend himself saying he was just trying to keep it safe, like he did with every other gift his friends gave him. But everyone knew that was not quite true. It meant a lot more than that to him.

He loved the picture, and he loved the lure. But more than that, he loved the person who gave it to him. Having that object was his way of having her close when she was so far away.

He turned the picture over, staring at the faded calligraphy.

'_Me and my mini-Misty.'_

* * *

He looked in awe at the tiny thing in his arms.

The little baby whined, looking up at him with those big green eyes. She stretched her arm towards the man's face, chubby fingers touching his cheek lightly.

Ash didn't think he had ever seen something so beautiful in his life. He had seen a lot through the years - the most beautiful and amazing places and Pokémon anyone could imagine. But this little thing right here, looking at him with curious eyes… well, nothing would ever compare to that.

''She's really beautiful, isn't she?''

His mom walked quietly over him, putting a hand on his shoulder and keeping her voice down to avoid startling the baby. Ash, however, didn't even seem to notice her question, and just kept looking at his daughter with a goofy look.

''I made it.'' He said, completely amazed.

Delia laughed, smiling at her son and gently bringing her fingers to caress the head of the tiny girl.

''Yes, my dear, you 'made it.''

''No mom, really. I've always wondered whether I had made something really important in this life or not. And now I know I did. I know she's only here because of me.''

The baby seemed to sense her father's words, and gave them a huge toothless smile, shaking her tiny arms and making a happy sound. The first smile she ever gave in her life.

Ash smiled back at her. He had never felt something so pure in his life. He never knew it was even possible to love someone this way; but when he looked at her face he immediately understood what a father's love meant.

He kissed the baby's head and sighed, shifting his gaze to the beautiful woman resting in the bed beside him. She had always been one of the most important people in his life. She had been his first and best friend; she had been the one who helped him into his first journey and the one he fell helplessly in love with.

It had been a hard night for her. It took hours for the baby to be born, and she was awfully tired. Her bright orange hair was sprawled all over the pillow, and she was snoring lightly; finally being able to rest. Ash wondered how the hell she managed to look so beautiful even in a situation like this.

He turned to his mom, whispering softly.

''Do you think she'll be alright?''

''Oh dear, I'm sure she will. She is one of the strongest women I've ever seen.''

He nodded. She was right. His wife had always been strong. That he knew from the very first time they met – she had pulled him out of a river, for God's sake.

Then he remembered. His wall was definitely going to need a picture for this day. He called the older woman again, motioning with his head for the camera.

''Hey mom? Can you take a picture of us?''

Delia nodded, taking the object in her hands and snapping a lovely picture of her son and the beautiful baby in his arms. She had never seem him look so happy.

* * *

When she gave him the picture back, about two weeks later, all he could do was turn it around a write a simple phrase, with the brightest of the smiles showing on his face.

''_Me and my mini-Misty.''_

* * *

**Hello guys! Yeah, I know, I have stories to update – and I will – but I had this idea last night and it seemed too cute for me not to write it. **

**I didn't have much time to write it, but felt like I had to before the idea slipped off my mind (I broke my own record, I never wrote something so fast, yay for me), so I hope It's ok. I also didn't have much time to edit it; I could only read and edit it a couple of times. I really hope it's ok, though. **

**I'll try to give updates soon, and as always, your opinion is much appreciated. Thanks to everyone!**


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